5 Things Your Parents Taught Wrong

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When you were a kid, your mom and dad dispensed plenty of wisdom that still checks out, like “don’t forget to wear clean underwear every day.” (Thanks for that one, guys.) Not every piece of parental advice holds up, though. Here are five classic warnings that scared you back then, but smell like B.S. now.

The myth: You shouldn’t swim for an hour after eating.

The truth: Digestion and exercise both need your blood, but as long as you’re not gunning it like Michael Phelps after chowing down, you’re fine. “As with any exercise immediately after eating, you might feel somewhat uncomfortable after a big meal, but it’s very unlikely you’d be completely incapacitated by it,” says Rachel C. Vreeman, M.D., coauthor of Don’t Swallow Your Gum! Myths, Half-Truths, and Outright Lies About Your Body and Health. Splash in the shallow end for a bit.

The myth: Don’t swallow gum–it stays in your stomach for 7 years.

The truth: We suppose it would be kind of cool to have something from 2007 still hanging around in your belly, but that stick of Wrigley simply passes right through you and lands in the toilet like the rest of your food. “Only in rare cases, where very small children swallow huge quantities of gum–like 30-50 pieces–could the massive wad cause an intestinal blockage,” Dr. Vreeman says.

The myth: Eating too much turkey makes you sleepy.

The truth: Turkey contains tryptophan, which research shows can cause drowsiness. But the meat doesn’t contain enough of the stuff to knock you out. “Turkey, chicken, and ground beef actually contain about the same amount of tryptophan, and other protein sources actually contain more tryptophan per gram than turkey,” Dr. Vreeman says.

So why don’t you feel as sluggish after devouring a steak? Dr. Vreeman says the turkey myth gained legs because it’s often eaten during large, heavy dinners–and chased with wine. “It’s the total content of the meal, especially meals high in carbohydrates and alcohol, that makes one feel lethargic,” she says.

The myth: You can catch poison ivy from someone who has the rash.

The truth: Not quite. “Poison ivy looks terrible, but the rash is not as contagious as you would think,” says Dr. Vreeman. It’s actually the oil from the plant that is contagious. If it’s on your skin or clothes, it can very easily be passed to someone else. Also, it’s normal for people to have a delayed hypersensitive response, meaning the rash will spread days after you’re out of the woods. But once the oil is washed off, the bumps and even oozy blisters can’t infect someone else–no matter how disgusting they look, Dr. Vreeman says.

The myth: Cold weather makes you sick.

The truth: “Colds are caused by viruses–not by cold weather,” says Dr. Vreeman. “And air temperatures don’t make you any more likely to be infected with viruses.” In a British study, people were inoculated with a cold virus in their noses. Some participants stayed in a warm room while the rest took a bath and stood dripping wet in a hallway for half an hour before putting on dry clothes and wet socks. The results: People in the wet group didn’t catch any more colds than the dry folks. You get sick in the winter because you’re indoors more, and in closer contact with people and their germs.

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5 Things Your Parents Taught Wrong